This week, many publications including Architectural Digest are running articles pivoting around the annual 'Sleep Week'.
It focuses on the importance of both the quality and quantity of sleep. Indeed, there is a suggestion that a lack of sleep can be seriously harmful to the health of the brain.
Sleep is one of the most fundamental of functions. It is as important as food. Tests suggest that a person will die from sleep deprivation before he or she would starve to death.
The "sleep elite" - most famously Margaret Thatcher - can apparently or were able to get by on 3-4 hours’ sleep a night. Indeed, Donald Trump on his campaign trail asked how someone who sleeps 12-14 hours a day could compete with someone on three. It seems the argument is now dramatically reversed.
Sleep, according to the experts, is the starting block of all other cognitive functions. No wonder sleep deprivation is one of the most effective forms of torture!
A lack of sleep can also lead to health problems including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and depression. If ever there’s a need to justify eight blissful hours of kip, that’s the one for me! We still live in a society where role models apparently work all hours of the day and don’t want to or don’t need to sleep. Pay attention, Mr Musk!
Well, we beg to differ. Not only should sleep be the starting point of all other functions, but we at London & Avalon also believe it should be one of the most enjoyable and luxurious parts of the day. A bed is, in effect, your ultimate personal space, your haven for a few hours to switch off, recharge and renew before starting afresh for a new day. Why not make the most of it?
We are advocates of the full night’s sleep. For some of you, this may be 6 hours. For others, this may be 10. Breakfast TV and Radio presenters tell us regularly that they can’t watch a TV programme because it’s on after 10 and, given they are waking lots of us up at 6am, they need their sleep and to be on top form. No macho 4 hours for them!
Ultimately life, we believe, is about experiences. To enjoy them to the fullest and to be the best of ourselves, a great night's sleep is a must and probably the true building block of many happy lives. We have built an entire business on this premise, not on fancy designs, but to give our clients the ultimate feeling bed linen for a great night’s sleep.
Simple but - we hope - effective.